The Ex-Guardian
by MoonlightShadows13
Summary: When the Guardians come to visit, they bring news of a new threat approaching, one that Sam is decidedly not prepared for. Kind of a bad summary, but please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so I watched the Guardians of the Galaxy episode again, and got the idea for this stand alone story, so here goes…**

Sam lay on his bed, counting the glow-in-the-dark stars he had stuck up on the ceiling in the general shape of the Bahamas. For some reason he couldn't sleep that night. Having finished counting the stars on his ceiling, he rolled over.

"Twenty-five," he muttered to himself. "The number never changes."

An alarm cut through the silence like a knife, and Sam leapt from bed. Glad to have something to do, he quickly pulled on his helmet, changing into his Nova outfit. Flying down the halls, he swooped onto the bridge of the Helicarrier, arriving before any of the others. After the others arrived, Fury started the briefing.

"We've just received readings of an unknown spacecraft coming in for a landing. Since we don't know who's on it, we're advising you to approach it with caution. Understood?"

The team muttered their collective accent and took off. The ship had landed in a field just outside of New York. Sam began to smile when he saw it.

"Oh, cool!" Sam said, flying toward the craft at full speed.

"Nova! What are you doing? We're supposed to approach with caution!" Spiderman yelled after him. Nova paid no attention. This wasn't an unidentified spacecraft, no it was something much better.

The door hissed as the pressure was released from the ship, and the four inside stepped out, one carrying a potted twig.

"Guys! You're here!" Sam said, depositing himself in front of The Guardians of the Galaxy.

"Nova, good to see you," Starlord said, smiling.

"What are you doing here? Need my help again?" Nova asked, happy and hungry for another mission with his old team. Starlord's smile faltered.

"Unfortunately, we come with darker news," Starlord said. Nova's smile faded.

"There's a threat approaching Earth," Gamora informed Nova frankly.

"What is it? An intergalactic army? A legion of assassins?" Nova asked, ready to take on the threat.

"No… It's…" The Guardians all glanced at each other.

"It's Raven," Rocket finally said. Nova froze.

"Raven? Who's that?" Spiderman asked.

"No. No no nononono…. This is not happening… It can't be happening…" Nova stuttered.

"I'm afraid it is, kid," Starlord glumly replied, stepping to put his hand on the young superhero's shoulder.

"No! Never again!" Nova shouted, before whirling and shooting off into the sky.

"Who's Raven?" Spiderman asked again.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time the team managed to lead the Guardians back to the Hellicarier and leave them in the capable hands of Fury, Sam had retreated to his room. The door was securely locked and Sam had piled all of his reasonably heavy belongings in front of the door. He lay on his bed, back to the door, arms curled around his helmet. His ultimate decision on how to deal with the problem was to blot it out with sleep. Not that this worked very well. The more he struggled to keep the memories down, the harder they fought to come up for air. And there was the problem with the dreams. Each time he managed to drift off, they started. Or rather, it started. It was always the same dream, and it always started the same way.

_It was dark in the ship. Sam was staring through one of the windows toward the planet they were orbiting. The sunrises were supposed to be amazing here, washes of color and streaks of white light. He wasn't sure how long she'd been there; just that he suddenly became aware of her presence._

'_Somebody should put a bell on her.' Sam thought as he glanced at her. She was about his height. Shrouded in her dark cloak, she looked more like his shadow than his teammate. She took a few more steps toward him, looking over his shoulder out the window. He scooted over a little to give her a better view. The star broke over the lip of the planet, and Sam sucked in a breath. It was one of those views that couldn't ever be replaced. You had to see it in person to understand the awe of it._

"_Wow." The voice was quiet and silky._

"_Yeah," Sam whispered back. His speaking shadow shifted, slipping a hand out from under her cloak, pressing her fingers against the glass as if she could reach out and touch the beautiful sight._

Sam woke with a jolt. Someone was shaking him roughly and saying something to him.

"Sam. Sam, wake up! Sam!"

Sam felt annoyed, slapping the person's hand away, harder than he meant to.

"Jeez, Sam, you could just say you were awake instead of hitting me," Luke said.

"It's not like it hurt," Sam grumbled. His shoulders were stiff from being curled around a hard metal object. "How'd you get in anyway? Even you shouldn't have been able to get past my barrier."

"You mean that pile of stuff you stacked in front of the door? That would've only worked if the door opened inward. This isn't Peter's house, the door slides into the wall," Luke said, pointing over his shoulder at the open door. Sam glared at the door. It would pay for this betrayal later.

"What do you want, anyway?" Sam asked, stretching to ease the dull pain in his muscles.

"Dinner's ready. I figured you'd want to know."

"I'm not hungry," Sam said sullenly.

"That's a first. I remember one time you ate a whole turkey by yourself. All the stuffing, too. That was an awkward Thanksgiving. We had to eat the tofuloaf instead of turkey. I thought Ava was going to stuff you in place of the turkey."

'It wouldn't be the first time someone wanted to kill me,' Sam thought. A memory stabbed through him. Dark magic, lost in darkness, a flash of light. Sam curled into the fetal position, gripping his head.

"Woah, you okay?" Luke asked, concerned.

"Fine. I just want to be alone, okay?" Sam said through gritted teeth.

"Alright. Your leftovers will be in the fridge, then." Luke backed out of the room, door sliding shut behind him. Stupid door. It couldn't even keep Luke out.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sam doesn't want dinner? Are you serious?" Ava asked Luke incredulously.

"Yeah, he doesn't seem to be doing so hot. He was asleep when I went in, and when I woke him he hit me. It actually kind of hurt, too. Maybe we should just leave him be for now," Luke said.

"I guess. If it was serious he'd come talk to us about it, right?" Ava said, mostly to herself.

"Sometimes the only way to deal with something is by fighting it yourself," Danny put in.

%%%%%%

"We aren't sure how long we have before the... threat arrives. Best estimate is about two days," Starlord said, doing his best to brief Fury without giving too much away. "Before that time comes, we need Nova to get ready to face this."

"One question, why Nova? Surely you could handle this threat without him, or even with just the help of some of the other heroes here on Earth. Like the Avengers," Fury replied. The Guardians glanced at each other.

"Well, this threat..." Starlord faltered.

"I am Groot," Groot said.

"Groot's right. We need Nova because he's one of us. That, and he's the only one to have faced this threat before and survived," Gamora said.

"So Nova's faced this threat before? If you don't mind me asking, just what is it that we're going up against here?" Fury asked, standing up from the conference table chair he was sitting in. The Guardians shared another glance.

"The Destroyer of Worlds," Starlord supplied.


	4. Chapter 4

The alarm cut through the silence of Sam's room. He slid the pillow off of his face, standing slowly. He pulled his helmet on and weaved through the pile of junk on his floor to the door. It slid open in front of him and he flew out. He shot onto the bridge, finding his team already assembled.

"What's going on? Is it the Frightful Four? Or Batroc the Leaper?" Nova asked, touching down beside White Tiger.

"I'm afraid not. Our friends The Guardians of the Galaxy have just informed me of a serious threat approaching Earth. By their estimate we have two days before it arrives," Fury supplied, walking to stand in front of the young heroes. Nova felt his legs begin to shake.

"What kind of serious threat?" Spiderman asked.

"Nothing less than the Destroyer of Worlds," Starlord said as the Guardians walked in.

"The Destroyer of Worlds?" White Tiger asked incredulously.

"Yeah, sounds a little over dramatic," Spiderman said.

"Don't be fooled. As dramatic as the name is, it is well earned. There's only been one person to face the Destroyer as an enemy or target and survive." Starlord's eyes slipped across the line to Nova, who felt like he was coming pretty quickly up to the part where he puked up his lunch. Oh wait. He hadn't eaten lunch.

"Wait. Nova's the one who survived?" Spiderman blurted out as he put the dots together.

"Yes. And now he needs to not only survive but defeat the Destroyer," Starlord said. Everyone in the room turned to look at Nova.

"I can't," he blurted, rocketing out of the room. The vision followed him down the hall.

_He stood up on a hill, staring down at the decimated city. This had once been a beautiful place, buzzing with life. Now it lay still with death. Solidifying his resolve, he flew down the hill to the ruins. There she was, at the center of the disaster, like the eye of a storm. He landed behind her, feet sinking into the pool of blood that continued to seep across the ground._

_"So. This is you, is it?" Nova asked, his voice steady despite the fear quivering inside him. She turned, gold eyes staring into his. Those eyes seemed like they could see through anything. "Well, at least I know what you're really like now."_

_The blast shot off of his hands, toward those eyes. A hand flicked up, dispelling the energy with a wave. The knife formed in that hand from the shadows around them. She sprang. _

Nova hit the side of the building with a thud. Cursing the inconvenient city layout he backed up before flying forward again, making sure to watch where he was going this time.


	5. Chapter 5

"Wait! Sam come back!" Starlord yelled after the fleeing hero. "Great our only hope has just flown away."

"Sam is out last hope? Really? Sam? Are you sure?" Spiderman piped up.

"Yes, Sam. He's the only one who knows how the Destroyer fights. Not to mention the last time we faced the Destroyer, he was the only one able to locate her," Gamora replied.

"Wait, her?" White Tiger asked. The Guardians glanced at each other.

"Yeah, come to think of it, earlier you mentioned someone named Raven. Are the Destroyer of Worlds and this Raven person one in the same?" Spiderman asked.

Starlord sighed. "Yes, that is right. And it's worse than that. Raven used to be a Guardian of the Galaxy."

"Wait, but you guys are good guys, right? So how can it be-" Spiderman blurted out.

"I am Groot," Groot interrupted him.

"Groot's right. For now we need to focus on finding Sam," Rocket translated.

"Don't worry about that," Fury said, nodding to one of the pilots on the bridge. The map was pulled up on the big screen, and the red dot that was Sam was flashing.

"He's in Arizona?" Spiderman asked incredulously.

"I knew Sam was fast, but not that fast," White Tiger said.

%%%%%%

"I don't get it. Why Arizona of all places?" Spiderman asked the team. They were sitting in their custom SHEILD cruiser, rocketing toward Carefree, Arizona.

"I don't know, but there's got to be reason, right?" Powerman said.

"We'll find out when we get there. Just focus on flying, Spiderman," White Tiger replied.

%%%%%%

Nova landed next to the one story brick house, pulling his helmet off. Circling around the back, he walked up to the garage. The hole in the wall had been repaired. He wondered idly if the locks had been changed as he pulled the key out of his pocket. The lock clicked open and he walked inside. It looked the same as before, a bed in one corner, space diagrams, a telescope, and a chalkboard scattered around the room. Even the equations on the chalkboard were the same. Sam sat down on the bed, looking at the shelf where the helmet in his hands had once sat. Standing back up, he left the garage, circling around to the front of the house. His key fit in the lock, and he opened the door. Nothing had changed here either. Walking slowly through the threshold, he wandered into the kitchen, opening the fridge.

"Wow. Usually they warn you that if you leave a place for awhile and come back, everything will be different. I guess that doesn't apply to small towns," Sam muttered under his breath.

"Gleep." Sam turned at the sound. Floating in front of him was a blue blob, its two arms waving above its head. It had a rounded top, two arms and two legs. With black bands around its arms and legs, one around what Sam thought was its stomach.

"Hey, Gleep," Sam greeted the small creature. It flew around him to rest on his head. "It's good to see you, too," Sam said as he scratched the alien on the back of its… head.

"Sam? Is that you?" the woman asking was about forty, wearing a red hoodie. Behind her leg was a small girl of perhaps six in pink pajamas with monkey heads on them.

"Hey mom," Sam said, smiling.

"Sam!" His little sister said, running forward.

"Hey, Kaelynn," Sam greeted her, putting his hand on the top of her head. Her black hair was pulled back into its usual ponytail. "Can I have some eye scream?" She asked.

Sam laughed. "Of course you can," he said, reaching into the freezer to pull the carton out.


	6. Chapter 6

It felt good not to have to worry about anything for once. Sitting at the breakfast table eating scrambled eggs, Sam felt really good.

"So, what do you plan to do today?" his mom asked him, placing another batch of eggs in front of Kaelynn.

"I was thinking I'd go to the skate park. It's been awhile since I've used a skateboard, but I may still have it," Sam replied as he finished off his eggs. His mom smiled.

"Just try not to get hurt," she called after him as he ran off to get his old skateboard.

"Gleep!" Gleep called as he flew after him.

%%%%%%

Sam was laughing as he did flips and spins with his skateboard, Gleep flying behind him. Stopping, he lifted the small creature out of the air, tucking him into his shirt, where he could hold onto the top of the neck to watch what was going on. Sam did a few more tricks on the old red board.

"Sam? Sam Alexander? No way." Sam turned to look at who was calling his name. A girl his age wearing a black and white striped shirt, and black skirt was standing there. She had straight, shoulder length, black hair with a pink highlight. Her lip, nose, and right eyebrow were also pierced.

"Oh, hey, Carrie. Long time no see," Sam said as Gleep slunk down to hide inside his shirt.

"Yeah. We all thought you were never coming back, after you disappeared like that," she said, coming a few steps closer.

"Well, I felt a little homesick," Sam said, shrugging. "Thought I might visit for awhile. How's Karl?"

"He's the same. This whole town is the same," Carrie said, shrugging.

"I noticed. Well, it was nice seeing you," Sam said, pushing himself forward, heading back towards home.

%%%%%%

"Hey, I think that's it!" White Tiger said, as the plane passed over a sign announcing the limits of Carefree, Arizona. There was a large, circular hole in the center of it. Spiderman pulled up, stopping the plane.

"Really? This place is tiny, like it's only got one street," Spiderman said incredulously.

"This is definitely it," White Tiger said. "The tracker says that Sam is really close."

"I guess we might as well park here, then," Spiderman said, setting the plane down next to the sign.

"You know, it might be better if we weren't dressed as superheroes," Powerman said.

Five minutes later, in civilian clothes, the group was walking down the only street in town. The stopped in front of one of the houses, and Peter checked the tracker location.

"This is it," he said, stepping forward to knock on the door.


	7. Chapter 7

"Tell me another story!" Kaelynn commanded. Sam smiled. The two were sitting at the table eating ice cream and Sam was telling his little sister stories about the Guardians, like his dad used to.

"Alright. How about I tell you how Gleep came to be around?" Sam asked, poking at the blob with his spoon.

"Gleep!" Gleep replied, swatting at the spoon.

"Well, Gleep used to be part of the Nova Cops, but after it fell apart, he traveled alone across the galaxy looking for someone to travel with. The Guardians and I were on a distant planet, speaking to one of the rulers about setting up a trade system with another galaxy. After negotiations were complete, I was sitting outside of town, when Gleep flew up. I suppose he must've liked me, because when I went to leave, he followed me. After that, he stayed with me for most of my adventures. The last time I visited, you remember that, right? It was because a threat was approaching Earth, and Gleep agreed to stay behind with you guys to make sure you were safe until I came back to get him. Unfortunately, it wasn't until much later that Guardians were near Earth again, and at that time I was caught in New York, and couldn't get away to come collect the blob," Sam motioned to poke his spoon at Gleep again, but noticed the small alien was missing.

"Gleep," Gleep burbled happily. Sam looked down to find the extraterrestrial creature lounging in his empty ice cream bowl.

"Ice cream thief!" Sam explained, trying to grab Gleep. Gleep darted away nimbly, staying out of Sam's reach easily. Sam glared at the floating blob, and gave up on the venture, putting his bowl and spoon in the dishwasher. Gleep drifted sluggishly over and sat on Sam's head. Kaelynn giggled as Sam sighed in defeat. He couldn't stay mad at Gleep for very long, the alien was just too cute.

There was a knock at the door as Sam put Kaelynn's bowl into the dishwasher as well.

"I'll get it!" She exclaimed happily, slipping out of her chair and running over to the front door. Sam idly wondered who it could be as he put the carton of ice cream back in the fridge. It was mint chocolate chip, same as always, he noted. It was the only flavor he and his sister both agreed was worth eating.

"Sam, there's someone here to see you!" Kaelynn called. Someone here to see him? He wondered if word had gotten around town and some of the kids from school had shown up.

"Who is it?" He called back.

"Some weird kids I've never seen before!" She replied. Sam shut the freezer and walked out to the door.

%%%%%%

When Peter knocked, a small girl answered. She looked about six, her black hair in pigtails.

"Um, hi," Peter faltered.

"Hi!" She said back, brightly.

"We're here looking for Sam Alexander. Do you know where he is?" Ava asked.

"Sam, there's someone here to see you!" The girl called into the house.

"Who is it?" Sam's voice came back.

"Some weird kids I've never seen before!" She replied.

"Weird kids?" Peter asked nobody in particular. The rest of the team shrugged. Sam came up to stand next to the little girl, placing his hand on her head.

"Oh. It's you," Sam said. "What do you guys want?"

"What, no nice to see you? Or would you like to come in?" Peter asked sarcastically. Sam didn't respond. He was too busy looking down at his sister, who was pulling at his shirt.

"Are they Guardians, too?" She asked.

"No, but they are superheroes," Sam replied.

"Sam!" Ava said in surprise and anger that he would go around announcing that to people, even little kids.

"Oh, relax. She already knows about me being Nova anyway, so what's the harm?" Sam replied dismissively.

"Oh," Kaelynn's face fell.

"Yeah, not nearly as cool, are they?" Sam asked her. She shook her head.

"No, they're not."

"Hey!" Pete exclaimed, his ego bruised.


	8. Chapter 8

"Let me guess, I need to come back to New York and face the oncoming threat, right?" Sam asked.

"Well, yeah. Look, the Guardians have told us about the enemy, how it used to be-" Peter started.

"Alright, Webhead," Sam interrupted him. He turned to Kaelynn. "Will you do me a favor and go get my helmet for me?"

"Sure!" Kaelynn replied, running off down the hall.

"What was that about, Sparkplug?" Peter asked.

"I'd rather my sister not know that one of the Guardians of the Galaxy is on a rampage and destroying worlds left and right," Sam replied.

"What's up with her knowing all this stuff, anyway?" Luke asked.

"Well, my dad…" Sam faltered before taking a breath and continuing. "My dad was a Guardian, too, and after he came back to Earth and gave it up he would tell us stories about his missions in space and stuff. Now that he's not around, whenever I'm here I tell her stories, too."

"Not around anymore? What happened to your dad?" Peter asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Sam said quietly, looking down. Kaelynn came running back up the hall, helmet in her hands.

"Here!" She said, holding it up to him.

"Thanks," he replied, taking it. "Look, I have to go away again for awhile, okay?"

"Okay," She said. Sam smiled, patting her on the head before walking out the door, helmet tucked under one arm.

%%%%%%

Sam stood on the bridge of the Hellicarrier, in line with the others, helmet still under his arm. He had decided to hitch a ride in the plane, sitting in the cramped space with Peter, who wasn't too happy about it. It was mostly because of the warm blob nestled against his chest. Sam wasn't too sure if Fury would let him keep Gleep, so he decided it was best if Gleep stay hidden for now.

"Now we have one day before this threat arrives. We need to plan for what's ahead, and the best way to start would be for Nova to tell us about the enemy's abilities," Fury said, standing before the group. Sam stepped forward.

"Right. Raven, the Destroyer of Worlds, is easy to spot from her dark cloak and gold eyes. Her abilities center mainly around the use of dark magic. She has the ability of telekinesis, and can use the shadows around her to create anything she wishes. The worst of it, though, is that she can summon the ten plagues," Sam informed the group.

"The ten plagues?" White Tiger asked. "As in the ten plagues of Egypt?"

"That's correct. Water to blood, frogs, gnats or lice, livestock disease, boils, thunder and hails, locusts, darkness, and death of the first born. All of them at her disposal, in any order," Sam clarified. He stopped, looking up at the ceiling of the Helicarrier. "Do you feel that?" He murmured. Everyone stared at him.

"Um, Sam? I don't suppose there's a reason you're talking to the ceiling," Spiderman said.

"Do you feel it, Gleep?" Sam looked down. Gleep flew up out of his shirt to hover in front of his face.

"Gleeeeep…" Gleep replied.

"Um… Did that blob just come out of Sam's shirt?" Spiderman asked. The rest of the team nodded.

"She comes on the wings of death, and has arrived," Sam said quietly. The room went silent. The Destroyer of Worlds was here.


End file.
